The Mystery Revealed

3 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—

Sacrificial Service for Christ

^24 (A)I now rejoice in my sufferings ^(B)for you, and fill up in my flesh ^(C)what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for ^(D)the sake of His body, which is the church,

Walk in Unity

4 I, therefore, the prisoner ^[a]of the Lord, ^[b]beseech you to ^(A)walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,

⁹ yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ—

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

^8 (A)Therefore do not be ashamed of ^(B)the testimony of our Lord, nor of me ^(C)His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,

¹³ so that it has become evident ^(A)to the whole ^[a]palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; ¹⁴ and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

¹⁵ Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: ^16 [b]The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains;

²⁰ for which ^(A)I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Greeting

¹ Paul, a ^(A)prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

To Philemon our beloved friend and fellow laborer,

⁷ just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.

¹⁸ So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, “Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to say to you.”